Corruption was absent from election campaign, but not from citizens’ minds – Repubblika

The latest Eurobarometer survey on corruption should serve as a warning to Malta's political class, Repubblika said Saturday. The survey shows that Maltese citizens remain deeply concerned about corruption. An overwhelming majority of respondents believe corruption is widespread in Malta. Almost half believe it affects them in their daily lives. Four out of five believe that high-level corruption cases are not investigated and brought to justice as they should be. Above all, many believe that close links between business and politics contribute directly to corruption. These findings are particularly significant because they were published only days after an election campaign in which corruption received very little attention. Political debate focused on many important issues, but corruption and the reforms needed to prevent and combat it were absent from the national conversation. The survey suggests that this silence does not represent the public's views, Repubblika said. Maltese citizens associate corruption with politics, public institutions, public procurement processes and planning decisions. They continue to express concern about the influence that powerful private interests exert on public life. They continue to doubt that those responsible for serious abuses are genuinely held accountable. Corruption does not disappear because politicians stop talking about it. On the contrary, silence risks normalising behaviour that ought to be condemned. It creates the impression that corruption is no longer a national priority and carries no political cost. Many respondents said they hesitate to report corruption because they fear retaliation or believe nothing will happen to those responsible. A culture of impunity is not created solely by acts of corruption. It is also created when corruption is ignored, excused or treated as inevitable. These findings should therefore prompt serious reflection by all political parties, the group added. Political parties cannot ignore legitimate questions about who finances political activity and what...